M.O. Yuksel: Hello, my name is M.O. Yuksel. I'm the author of In My Mosque. In My Mosque is an introduction to a place of worship. It's about the kinds of activities and services that take place in a mosque, told from the community point of view and from a child's perspective.

I was inspired to write the book as a result of a tragic and horrific event. I started writing In My Mosque the day the news of the New Zealand mosque massacre was broadcast in March of 2019. I wanted to help in some way, and that was by writing a story about mosques to help demystify and dispel negative myths and to share my personal experience attending mosques.

I've been fortunate to have attended many mosques in various countries around the world, such as in Turkey, Central Asia, Malaysia, Canada, US. I love seeing the diversity of people who worship in mosques. It's nothing like what we see portrayed in the mass media. The stereotype of Muslims in the West is that we are all Arab or South Asian or dark-skinned or that we all dress and look a certain way. This is a misconception. Islam is practiced by over 1.8 billion people around the world, in every country. And it's a very ethnically diverse religion. I wanted to highlight this aspect, and the illustrator of In My Mosque, Hatem Aly, did a beautiful job of showcasing the diversity of people represented in the book. The book even showcases the diversity of architecture of different mosques around the world.

Muslims make up roughly 1.1% of the total population in America, but Muslims are among the most discussed groups in the US and the least understood. Since Muslims are a minority, most Americans don't know a real Muslim person and therefore rely on the media for information. Ninety percent of mass media portrays Islam and Muslims negatively. These negative portrayals create dangerous and dehumanizing stereotypes and misconceptions that lead to hate crimes like the New Zealand mosque shooting. This is why books about Muslims are important.

With the global rise of Islamophobia, the need to break down stereotypes is more urgent now than ever. Books have the power to change the world by informing, demystifying, and dispelling negative myths and allowing all children to see themselves, and the diversity around them, reflected in the books they read.

Now, I'm going to read you a few lines from the book:

In my mosque, we are a rainbow of colors and speak in different accents. As-salamu alaykum. I greet my friends and newcomers too. Everyone is welcome here. In my mosque, we line our shoes in rows like colorful beads before stepping inside. I wiggle my toes and sink into the silky soft carpet. In my mosque, we dress in our best outfits before standing in front of the Most High. My auntie gives me a hug and I know I'm loved.